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Over the past few decades, golf courses have had to adapt and evolve in the face of drought, rising water prices and watering restrictions, as well as societal and environmental pressures. It’s likely that all of these challenges will not only continue into the future, but also intensify. Here are a few of my personal predictions about how golf courses, superintendents and their irrigation systems will change over the next 10-15 years.
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Water prices will continue to rise, and more courses will use reclaimed water. The very visible and recent droughts in California, Texas and Georgia have caused increased public scrutiny on the use of potable water for “recreational turf.” In parts of the country, tiered water pricing will cause those who irrigate turfgrass to pay more for their water. As a result, many golf courses have sought out alternate water sources, including reclaimed/effluent water and stormwater runoff. This move away from municipally supplied and treated potable water will continue, and will bring along with it a new set of irrigation and plant health challenges, including salt, pH levels, bicarbonates, suspended solids and other contaminants.
Irrigation systems will need to evolve in order to effectively use poorer quality water. Corrosion-resistant components will become even more of a priority, as will water quality monitoring and filter use. Injection systems will deliver materials intended to manage the contaminants found in reclaimed water. More courses will implement portable and in-ground sensors to collect soil moisture, salinity and soil temperature data. While central control systems today are quite sophisticated, their features will continue to evolve to meet water management demands.
We may even see new technology designed to help make golf course irrigation more efficient, such as satellite imagery or unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with an array of sensors that can provide superintendents with valuable plant health information. Being able to integrate this type of information with the irrigation system will provide a key linkage between actual plant health and water availability.
Superintendents will continue improving their water management skills. In all likelihood, courses will be given water budgets or allotments, and superintendents will have to be extremely vigilant about effectively managing every drop. Even more superintendents will use mobile, Internet-enabled devices to monitor their irrigation systems, pump stations and sensors. To better measure their system’s distribution uniformity, superintendents will conduct frequent water distribution audits to ensure top performance. These audits, combined with the use of a thorough maintenance check-sheet will become routine practice.
The bottom line when it comes to the future golf course irrigation? All courses, regardless of location or water availability will need to better manage their water resources, with or without the threat of legislation or restrictions. Fortunately, improvements in irrigation technology coupled with a heightened focus on regular, comprehensive system audits and maintenance are already helping courses use less water than ever before. As we venture even further into the 21st century, there’s every reason to believe that golf course irrigation will continue along this positive path.
Paul Roche is Rain Bird's national sales manager.
